of Ajironomers at Gotha, S 2 5 



German literati who had received an invitation, fent excufe* 

 for not accepting it. 



"Anions the various aftronomical and mathematical ob- 

 je&s difcufled on this occafion were the following : 



u Lalande wifhed that the decimal fyftem fome time ago 

 propofed in France to be ufed in aftronomical and mathe- 

 matical calculations, in the divifion of time and of the 

 circle, in inftruments for long meafure, in weights,, coins, 

 &c. might be introduced into Germany. We, on the other 

 hand, reprefented to him the difficulties, in regard to. com- 

 mon life, which oppofed, and which would perhaps ever 

 oppofe, the general adoption of this fyftem, otherwife ufeful 

 in calculation ; and that men of letters were the leaft of all 

 fit to remove thefe difficulties : we, however, agreed that in 

 future we would favour this fyftem more in our writings, in 

 order to make it better known ; and we at the fame time 

 expreffed a hope that the National Inftitute of Paris would 

 tranfmit to us the new tables for the decimal calculation, as 

 foon as they were publifhed, which Lalande promifed to ufe 

 his intereft to effect. 



" He mentioned alfo the general adoption of the new ftand- 

 ard propofed in France, called the metre, or the linear unity 

 of 10,000,000 parts of a quadrant of the earth's meridian; 

 becaufe, in his opinion, it was borrowed from nature itfelf, 

 and therefore was equally proper for all nations. But we 

 could give him very little hope in regard to the introduction 

 of the metre in Germany ; efpecially as the French foot is 

 already ufed in comparing meafures, and its exact length 

 every where known. We, however, refolved to give, in 

 future, foreign meafures according to the metre, as we for- 

 merly gave them by the French foot, as foon as the exacl: 

 length of the former fhould be made known to us by the 

 grand meafurement now carrying on in France, but not yet 

 completed*. We agreed alfo to give in future all calcu- 



* This undertaking lias been finct finiftied- Ebir. 



Y ■} latieas 



